The Geography Blog focusing on all things geography: human, physical, technical, space, news, and geopolitics. Also known as Geographic Travels with Catholicgauze!
Written by a former National Geographic employee who also proudly served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Tuesday, September 13, 2011

People's Republic of China Going Christian (Slowly)

What's the fastest growing religion in the People's Republic of China? The answer is Christianity, According to the BBC, the quick rise of materialism and capitalism in the officially atheistic Communist state is causing a wave of Chinese to seek comfort and solace in the God who humbled himself into humanity. More Christians, 60 million (only five percent of all the People's Republic) attend church on Sunday than in partially secularized Europe.

The Christian religion is no stranger to China. Both Nestorian and Catholics have created many converts only to be shut out by a xenophobic regime. Then a missionary wave in the late 1800s began the conversion of many elites. Several prime ministers of Japan were Christians. A majority of South Korean and Republic of China Presidents were Christian. Yet Christianity remained a small religion overall in Japan and Taiwan. Now, however, Christianity is becoming a religion of the peasant, the worker, and the middle class like in South Korea.

The new converts are both Catholic and Protestant, both independent of the government and controlled by the government. Protestants do lead with the rate of new conversions though.